Pundit backs young driver for F1 seat

David Coulthard has backed Liam Lawson for a drive in Formula 1, claiming that he would like the youngster on the grid this season.

The promising New Zealander had a brief spell with AlphaTauri last season in relief of the injured Daniel Ricciardo, and impressed in his brief promotion.

In his five races with the Faenza squad, Lawson put in some impressive performances, including a ninth place finish in Singapore, scoring his first points in F1.

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Coulthard: I would have Lawson on the grid

But after Ricciardo returned from injury, the 22-year-old would not return to the cockpit of an F1 car and instead went back to Super Formula to finish his season with Team Mugen, where he finished second in the standings.

For 2024, AlphaTauri rebranded to Visa Cash App RB and decided to retain Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda as they look to branch away from just being Red Bull’s junior team.

This left Lawson without a seat for this season, and Coulthard as said that he would have had the New Zealander on the grid.

Speaking on the Formula For Success podcast, Coulthard’s co-host Eddie Jordan fumed over the lack of rookies in the sport, with 2024 being the first season in history where the driver lineup is the same as the year before.

And the former Red Bull driver was in agreement with Jordan about Lawson being on the grid: “I agree with you on Liam Lawson, I personally would have stuck him in the AlphaTauri or the Racing Bulls as it’s now called.”

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